Ignition means for gun type oil burners



March 17, 1953 H. F. TAPP ET AL IGNITION MEANS FOR GUN TYPE OIL BURNERS Original Filed Sept. 2, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTORS HARRYZ I'DPP AND JP/c/M no 1% COC/l/PA 4/:

ATTORNEYS March 17, 1953 H. F. TAPP ET AL 2,631,657

IGNITION MEANS FOR GUN TYPE OIL BURNERS Original Filed Sept. 2, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 3/ 28 INVENTORS q fifi/MYE ZhPP A/VD ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 17, 1953 IGNITION MEANS FOR GUN TYPE OIL BURNERS e 1 Harry F. Tapp, Longmeadow, and Richard M. Cochrane, West Springfield, Mass, assignors to Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Company, v West Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Original application September 2, 1950, Serial No.

182,952. Divided and this application September 19, 1951, Serial No. 247,273

ZClaims. (o1.15s--2s) This invention relates to improvements in ignition means for gun type oil burners.

This application is a division of our application Serial No. 182,952, filed- September 2, 1950, and entitled Air-Atomizing Oil Burner.

The invention has for its object the provision in an oil burner, of an improved structural arrangement of the elements of the ignition means, wherein the ignition transformer is mounted on a wall of the air-supply conduit of the burner and has its high tension terminals extending through such wall into the interior of the conduit and wherein the ignition electrodes are mounted, together with the fuel nozzle and connected parts, for removal in a direction axially of the air tube of the burner and at right angles to such terminals, the ignition electrodes having cam-like contacts, fixed one to the rear end of each, to engage said terminals, when the nozzle and electrodes are properly positioned in the air tube, and to disengage from said terminals when the electrodes and nozzle are removed and to reengage with such terminals when the electrodes and nozzle are replaced in proper position in the air tube.

The invention will be disclosed with reference to the one illustrative embodiment of it shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a-small scale elevational view of an oil burner embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the burner, drawn to a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are cross sectional views taken on the lines 44 and 55 respectively of Fig. 2.

Referring to these drawings; there is shown a gun-type oil burner having a housing I, suitably supported, as by a standard 2 from a U- shaped foot piece 3, and affording a lower chamber 4 (Fig. 2) for a fan 5 which supplies air for combustion. This housing has an upper chamber 6, which is connected to the outlet 1 of the fan chamber 4. A damper 8, adjustable by a screw 9 rotatably mounted in the housing, serves to adjust the effective area of the outlet 1. The

member [6, which extends rearwardly, coaxially of tube M, and has its other end fixed to a mem ber H, which in turn is fixed to disk l2. This member I! has a lateral extension I8 (Fig. 3), which fits in and closes a slot in a side wall of the upper chamber 6 (see also Fig. 1). The members I6, I! and I8 contain passages for supplying fuel and also, in this example, primary air to the atomizing nozzle, such passages receiving oil and air from suitable supply means (indicated generally at It in Fig. 1) through pipes l9 and 20, respectively. The pipes l9 and as have unions 2! and 22, respectively, to permit disconnection of the pipes and enable removal of the members it, I! and [9, disk l2 and all attached parts, as will later appear. The tubular member It has fixed thereto, at a point intermediate its ends, a closure plug 23 (Figs. 2 and 3) for the rear end of a tube 24, which is fixed to the plug 23 and extends forwardly coaxially of tube It in spaced relation with the tube and member I6 and terminates with an open forward end located near the nozzle and just in back of the conical air director 25 on the outlet end of tube M. The latter has suitably fixed thereto an annular ring 26 having a circular series of spiral vanes 21 (see also Fig. 5), the inner ends of which slidably engage the outer wall of tube 24 and support the same. These vanes 21 whirl the air supplied by fan 5 as such air passes through the annular passage 28 between tubes 4 and 24.

The ignition electrodes are shown at 29 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3). They are mounted in insulators 30, which in turn extend through holes in closure plug 23 (see also Fig. 4). Each insulator is held in place by a set screw 3|, threaded in plug 23 and acting against a thin split sleeve 3| (Fig. 4), which surrounds the insulator, thereby enabling angular adjustment of the insulator about,

its own axis and angular adjustment of the electrode carried by the insulator. On the rear end of each electrode (Fig. 3) is a metal terminal 32v which progressively increases in diameter rearwardly, forming a cam. These cam terminals 32 are engaged, one by each two spring-pressed metallic plungers 33 (Fig. 2), mounted in an insulator 34, which is fixed in bottom wall of a casing 35 and carries the high tension conductors of an ignition transformer 36. The peripheral surface of each cam is a surface of revolution coaxial with the electrode to which it is fixed, whereby angular adjustment of the electrode does not change the relationship between the cam and the plunger 33 engaged therewith.

These conductors suitably connect electrically, one with each of the spring-pressed plungers 33, which constitute the high tension terminals of the transformer. It will be clear that, when the disk I2 is unfastened and pulled rearwardly, it will carry with it the assembly of members I6, I! and I8, tube 24, member 23, nozzle !5, and the ignition electrodes 29, and that the connection between the transformer terminals 33 and electrodes 29 will be broken before the electrodes are withdrawn from the tube 14. This entire assembly can readily be removed from tube l4 for inspection, adjustment or repair and may as readily be replaced in the tube. As this assembly is replaced the cam terminals 32 engage and force upwardly the spring-pressed plungers 33, thus remaking the electrical connection between the high tension terminals of the transformer and the ignition electrodes. These electrodes are suitably located so that the are produced between them will ignite the fuel mixture. Preferably, the tips of the electrodes are located above and out of the path of the fuel spray and the are produced between these tips is blown into such path by the secondary air.

The invention thus provides in an oil burner an improved arrangement of parts for automatically disconnecting the ignition electrodes from the high tension terminals of the ignition transformer as such electrodes are withdrawn, to gether with the atomizing nozzle and connected parts, from the air tube of the burner and for connecting the electrodes to such terminals, when the electrodes, together with the atomizing nozzle and connected parts, are replaced in proper position in the air tube.

What is claimed is:

1. In an oil burner, a fan housing, a tube extending from the housing providing a passage for combustion-supporting air and having an open outlet end, said housing having a chamber ther in continuous with said passage and aligned therewith, 'a fuel conduit extending longitudinally in said chamber and passage, a nozzle on one end of said conduit located near the outlet end'of said passage, means fixed to said conduit for supporting one end of said conduit from the inner wall of said tube and slidably en; gaged with such wall, ignition electrodes mounted in and insulated from said means, said electrodes extending rearwardly in the passage into said chamber, electrical contacts fixed one to each of the rear ends of the electrodes, each said contact having an upper surface inclined to the axis of the tube and diverging rearwardly relatively to such axis; said housing having an opening from said chamber aligned with said passage and of suflicient area to permit axial withdrawal of the nozzle, conduit, electrodes, and means as a unit;' a removable closure for said'opening attached to the other end of said conduit, an ignition transformer mounted on top of said housing and having as its high tension terminals two spring pressed plungers which are located one aboveeach said contact and ex- 4 against each said upper face in a direction substantially at right angles to the axis of that electrode to which the contact is fixed, whereby the contacts may disengage from their plungers when said unit is withdrawn from the chamber and re-engage with their plungers when the unit is replaced, the sloping faces of the contacts acting as cams to move the plungers upwardly as the contacts are moved axially inwardly during the last part of the inward movement of said unit.

2. In an oil burner, a fan housing, a tube extending from the housing providing a passage for combustion-supporting air and having an open outlet end, said housing having a chamber therein continuous with said passage and aligned therewith, a fuel conduit extending longitudinally in said chamber and passage, a nozzle on one end of said conduit located near the outlet end of said passage, means fixed to said conduit for supporting one end of said conduit from the inner wall of said tube and slidably engaged with such wall, a pair of insulating tubes, a pair of ignition electrodes fixed one in each tube, said insulating tubes extending side by side in said passage into said chamber, each insulating tube being secured in said means for angular adjustment about its own axis, electrical contacts fixed one to each of the rear ends of the electrodes, each said contact progressively increasing in diameter rearwardly forming a cam the peripheral surface of which is a surface of revolution coaxial with the electrode, said housing having an opening from said chamber aligned with said passage and of sulficient area to permit axial withdrawal of the nozzle, conduit, electrodes, and means as a unit; a removable closure for said opening attached to the other end of said conduit, an ignition transformer mounted on top of said housing and having as its high tension terminals two springpressed plungers which are located one above each said contact and extend downwardly into said chamber pressing'one against each contact face in a direction substantially at right angles to the axis of that electrode to which such con tact is fixed, whereb the contacts may disengage from their plungers when said unit is withdrawn from t'he chamber and re-engage with their plungers when the unit is replaced, said cams engaging said plungers and moving" them upwardly as the cams are moved axially inwardly during the last part of the inward movement of said unit.

HARRY TAPP. RICHARD M, COCHRANE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,262,525 De Lancey Nov. ll, 1941 

